Certain filter materials have been suggested for incorporation into cigarette filters, including cotton, paper, cellulose, and certain synthetic fibers. However, such filter materials generally only remove particulate and condensable components from tobacco smoke. Thus, they are usually not optimal for the removal of certain gaseous components from tobacco smoke, e.g., volatile organic compounds. In light of this, a number of additives have been proposed in the art to supplement the performance of the filter materials.
Despite the developments to date, there remains an interest in developing improved and more efficient methods and compositions for removing certain constituents in mainstream tobacco smoke. Preferably, such methods and compositions should not involve expensive or time consuming manufacturing and/or processing steps. More preferably, such methods and compositions should be able to selectively remove at least one constituent of mainstream tobacco smoke in the filter region of the cigarette and/or along the length of the cigarette during smoking.